Friday, December 29, 2006

With all due respect to a prime-time showcase against the Green Bay Packers, the Bears have a much bigger stage in mind.

Now, more than ever before this season, the Bears’ focus squarely is on reaching Super Bowl XLI. And they are not afraid to talk about it.

Before, such chatter might have seemed presumptuous and suggested a lack of focus. But with nothing noteworthy at stake Sunday night at Soldier Field, postseason goals become central.

“We’ve said that from Day 1 – OTAs, mini-camps, all that junk in the summer, training camp – we want to get to the Super Bowl,” middle linebacker Brian Urlacher said. “That’s been our goal the whole season, and it’s right there in front of us.”

“We’ve got to win a few more games to get there, but we’ve achieved every goal so far this season,” Urlacher added. “We beat Green Bay; we won the NFC North; we clinched homefield. We’ve just got one left.”

The Bears have not won a playoff game in 12 years, so even one postseason victory might seem like a monumental accomplishment to their supporters. But two wins are needed to play for a world championship, and anything less than that would be crushing for the players after all the team has achieved.

When they sit around chatting about their hopes and dreams, they do not discuss playing in the NFC championship game. They talk about going to Miami for the Super Bowl.

When they break their post-practice huddle every day, they chant, “Champs!” Sometimes, to be a bit more specific, they make it, “Super Bowl Champs!”

On a few occasions of late, the chant has been “Space Mountain!” That means the Bears want to wrap up their season by sending at least one player to Disney World, which usually invites the Super Bowl MVP.

“That’s the one thing left I think for our team to do,” Urlacher said. “Everyone on this team, that’s all we talk about, man. That’s all we’ve been thinking about.”

“There is nothing that’s going to make us feel good if we don’t do that,” quarterback Rex Grossman said.

The Bears have come to understand that getting to the Super Bowl might be their only means of earning respect and acclaim. Some players have taken to sarcastically calling themselves “the worst 13-2 team in football,” realizing a number of pundits doubt their prowess no matter what the record.

“We’re 13-2; nobody talks about that,” defensive end Alex Brown said. “They all talk about how bad we’re playing or how bad this is going. The way people talk, they just talk like were 9-6 or something like that. I don’t know what else to do … because at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is winning.

“There’s been games this season where a defense gives up 150 yards and they lose. Go talk to Indy. They’re losing. People say they’re playing bad, but they’re losing. People say we’re playing bad, but we find a way to win.”

They have begun thinking hard about what it will feel like to win the biggest game of all, but first they have to find a way to get there.

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Only one NFL division still needs to be decided, and that could happen today. But who has the best chance to win the Super Bowl? That question is as jumbled as the NFC wild-card race. The only sure bet is it won't be the defending champions.

Baltimore made its case for Super Bowl favorite Sunday with a 31-7 victory over last year's winners, the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens (12-3) can secure home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with a win over the Buffalo Bills and a loss by San Diego on the final weekend of the season.

The defeat at home eliminated the Steelers (7-8) and made them the first defending champs to miss the postseason since Tampa Bay in 2002.

"We're in a prime position to get home-field advantage," Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis said. "With the way we're playing defense and the way our offense is clicking, we're going to be a hard team to beat in the playoffs."

The Chargers (13-2) retained the inside track in the AFC with a last-minute victory over Seattle. Philip Rivers' touchdown pass with 29 seconds left gave San Diego a 20-17 win.

The host Seahawks (8-7) still celebrated a third straight NFC West title after San Francisco lost to Arizona. New England beat Jacksonville on Sunday to win the AFC East.

Dallas can clinch the NFC East today by beating Philadelphia, while the Eagles would secure a playoff spot with a win or tie. New Orleans routed the New York Giants on Sunday and would join top-seeded Chicago in getting an NFC bye with another win or one Dallas loss.

"That would be a tremendous accomplishment considering everything that happened last year with these guys, what they went through," said Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who joined a team that was 3-13 last year.

No wild-card spots have been determined. The New York Jets and Denver Broncos can clinch the AFC spots if they win out, while Cincinnati, Tennessee, Kansas City and Jacksonville need help.

An 8-8 team will make the playoffs in the NFC. The Giants, Green Bay, Carolina, St. Louis and Atlanta are all alive at 7-8.

"People have continued to lose, and records aren't good in the NFC," Rams guard Adam Timmerman said. "It's been pretty bizarre."

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Terrell Owens' tumultuous season is just what the Cowboys need to win a Super Bowl. Who says? Duane Thomas says. Sort of.

Duane Thomas might have had nothing to say during the Cowboys' Super Bowl ride back in 1971, but he has plenty to say 35 years later. He's one of three former Cowboys whom NFL Films selected to help guide viewers through a season that was capped with a 24-3 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI.

For their effort, the `71 Cowboys have been ranked as the 15th-best Super Bowl team by a panel of experts commissioned by NFL Films for its extraordinary America's Game series, which is counting down the top 20 Super Bowl champions weekly on the NFL Network.

There are three Cowboys Super Bowl teams among the top 20. The `71 Cowboys are the first to be profiled. Still to come are the `77 Cowboys, winners of Super Bowl XII, and the `92 Cowboys champions of Super Bowl XXVII.

The 60-minute, `71 Cowboys installment is next up on Friday, Jan. 5 at 7:30 p.m. CST on the NFL Network, which unfortunately is little more than a rumor in most Dallas-Fort Worth homes. If you have a friend with a satellite dish, that day would be as good a day as any to invite yourself over for at least an hour. The series counts down on Fridays before culminating with a two-hour special on the Saturday night before Super Bowl XLI.

I watched the `71 and `92 shows the other day. Perhaps because the `92 Cowboys remain focused in the rearview mirror and their stars are omnipresent, their stories fresh, the `71 Cowboys, who performed way before my time, proved far more fascinating.

To tell their tale, NFL Films selected Hall of Famers Bob Lilly and Roger Staubach as well as Thomas, whom the Cowboys traded to the New England Patriots before the season. Alas, they were forced to take Thomas back as damaged goods by commissioner Pete Rozelle following his creative differences with the Patriots.

In protest of what he believed was the Cowboys' money-pinching ways, Thomas stopped talking during the `71 season. That was not only to the media but to his teammates and other Cowboys personnel as well. An immensely talented running back, ballyhooed by some as a "young Jim Brown," he led the NFL in touchdowns that season, which happened to be his second and final one with the team.

In addition to a sphinx-like running back, NFL Films captures the turmoil caused by Tom Landry's reluctance to decide between quarterbacks Staubach and Craig Morton, a waffling unanimously criticized by Staubach, Lilly and Thomas.

Whether it was because of such controversies or in spite of them, Thomas argues that all five Cowboys Super Bowl champions were flavored with tumult.

In `77, he points out, there were issues with Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson. In `92 and `93 there was the Jerry Jones-Jimmy Johnson power struggle. In `95, there were questions about the ability of Barry Switzer to lead the team.

Hence, though he never addresses the issue, from the Thomas Tumult Theory, we might conclude that Owens' soap-opera season is just the spice needed to bring a sixth Super Bowl title to Dallas.

Steve Sabol, mastermind of NFL Films, assures that spliced into the `71 Cowboys segment, as well as the 19 others, is "footage never seen before."

He credits that to his father, Ed, the founder of NFL Films who insisted that not a frame of film should ever be thrown out. "In the early 1970s, we got a citation from the health department because we stored too many old cans of film near the cafeteria. There was some kind of problem with the chemicals."

To tell the tale of the `77 Cowboys, NFL Films has Tony Dorsett, Drew Pearson and Charlie Waters. The `92 Cowboys features Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Ken Norton Jr.

Sabol says former 49er Joe Montana is the lone player or coach who declined to work on the project.

Sunday, December 03, 2006

The Chicago Bears as of December 3 were listed with 9 to 2 odds to win the 2007 Super Bowl. For all you folks who are not math wizards, that's a $450 payout for every $100 bet should they win the title.

The only thing getting in the way of a Super Bowl win might just be the current quarterback controversy. Chicago's record suggests this is a stellar team, yet Grossman's performance over the past weeks has a lot of Bears fans concerned that he will not be able to carry the team through the post season.

Don Pompei makes some excellent points in his Sporting News piece this week:

"It's true Grossman has been inconsistent lately. In fact, he has consistently made a couple of puzzling decisions in every game.

"But the fact remains he still represents the Bears' best chance to get to the Super Bowl. Some have called for Brian Griese to replace him. It's possible Griese could propel the Bears higher. When Griese gets on a tear, he can play with anyone. But he's not always on a tear, which is the reason he's a backup who has been allowed to leave Denver, Miami and Tampa.

"We haven't seen all Grossman can be yet. Though he's been in the NFL four seasons, he has only started 18 games in his life. It's certainly too early to say he isn't the answer. The Bears are doing the right thing by being patient with Grossman and remaining committed to him.

"When Grossman has been good, he's been very, very good. And he's been good more often than he's been bad."

Friday, November 24, 2006

Call in two dozen banquet workers from New York, offer a temporary 20 percent raise to his 500 regular employees and shut down an entire division of his company to avoid being overwhelmed by the hectic weekend.

''I don't think there's anything that's ever hit this city that has taken up every single party space -- every nook and cranny,'' said Weiss, president of Barton G catering, one of the region's largest party planners. ``Everybody's resources are tapped.''

As the playoffs approach, corporate entertainment budgets are fueling Super Bowl fever in South Florida. Even small companies expect to spend six figures bringing clients and top executives to the Feb. 4 championship in Dolphin Stadium, prompting a scramble for both facilities and staff.

A Davie limousine company hired Mike Rolewicz's Jacksonville firm, On Call Staffing, to recruit 300 temporary chauffeurs during Super Bowl weekend. He plans four job fairs near the Miami International Airport to find the drivers, along with three dozen greeters to escort clients to waiting cars.

''It's a logistical challenge, I'll put it that way,'' said Rolewicz. ``There's nothing on the scale and scope of Super Bowl. Nothing.''

Each year, the National Football League championship serves as perhaps the largest single event on corporate America's social calendar. The 21 official sponsors, including Burger King, Pepsi and Visa, plot big-game weekends, while countless others plan their own Super Bowl getaways.

Meanwhile, companies behind other major brands -- such as Maxim and Sports Illustrated magazines -- throw lavish soirees that can attract as many stars as the Super Bowl itself. (It was during Jacksonville's Super Bowl XXXIX that Senate hopeful Harold Ford attended a Playboy party that later prompted the 2006 campaign's most notorious television ad.)

But organizers say South Florida is whipping up more demand for Super Bowl parties than usual. Disappointing Super Bowl cities in the past two years -- Jacksonville, with its small hotel inventory, and frigid Detroit -- prompted some companies to stay home. So organizers expect pent-up demand for South Florida's Super Bowl XLI, on top of the usual boost warm-weather host cities usually enjoy.

''Generally, we have about 30 more parties than the other Super Bowl cities,'' said John Webb, the sports tourism director for Broward County, who is also in charge of finding venues for local Super Bowl organizers. Webb said his latest list shows 104 events -- ``And we don't know about all of them.''

Barton G's has several South Beach parties during the Super Bowl, including a Sports Illustrated bash for 600 people at the Fifth nightclub. But so many other parties will be underway that Weiss considers parking all but impossible for his staff. Instead, Weiss will run buses back and forth from Barton G's Miami headquarters.

In fact, Weiss thinks traffic will be so bad that he ordered Barton G's logistics division not to accept any business during Super Bowl weekend.

''I don't think South Beach is ever like this,'' he said.

Event planners say companies have started to pull back on the lavish spending that defined Wall Street soirees in the roaring 1990s. But Super Bowl junkets still don't come cheap, with scalpers quoting $2,000 and up for tickets alone.

''You're not doing it for under $5,000 a person. And you could do $50,000 a person, depending on who your entertainment is going to be,'' said Gael Sandoval, director of business development for Star Trax Corporate Events in Southfield, Mich.

Past and present NFL stars play a large role in the festivities. Event planners say they're hiring well-known football players to play in corporate golf outings and host ''chalk talks,'' the pregame briefings that are a staple of most Super Bowl itineraries.

Dan Vazquez, president of All Over Miami, said he expects three NFL players for a Saturday night chalk talk for 600 people at Hollywood's Westin Diplomat. Along with gridiron commentary, partyers will digest sushi served on ''human tables'' built around women dressed as mermaids.

HARD ROCK PARTIES

The next afternoon, Hollywood's Park Sports Club at the Seminole Hard Rock will open its doors to 900 people from various companies for another chalk talk. Some firms are paying extra for VIP rooms with their own Xbox consoles hooked up to the bar's giant television screens so they can challenge other suites in John Madden's popular NFL video game.

Sales director Wally Vincenty said PrimeSport out of Los Angeles paid $60,000 to take over the Park for the pregame party.

Other restaurants and party sites still are waiting for the kind of top dollars they think Super Bowl's corporate merriment will bring. Eugene Rodriguez, owner of Miami's Ice Palace, said the chic banquet hall is available Super Bowl weekend despite offers to rent it from Playboy, Reebok and Sports Illustrated.

''At the end of the day, the numbers weren't there,'' he said.Sandoval said she's had trouble finding a table for 20 executives because a number of restaurants say they're hoping to rent out their dining rooms for an entire night. ''Haven't found a reservation yet,'' she said.

Some are holding out for a final read on Super Bowl XLI's demand -- a measure that won't be fully known until after Jan. 21, the last day of the NFL playoffs. Though most firms plot out their Super Bowl spending months in advance, some wait to see who will actually be playing.'I can't tell you how many corporate planners will say: `Well, my numbers might change,' '' said Sharyn Outtrim, vice president of hospitality of PrimeSport. ' `Our CEO is a such-and-such fan.' ''

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Had the defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks spent the offseason immersed in NFL history, they could have buckled up for the bumpy ride they've had so far.

Not since the Rams won Super Bowl XXXIV - a victory that put former grocery store clerk Kurt Warner on cereal boxes - has the NFC champion even made it to the NFL playoffs the next season.

The Giants (2000), Rams ('01), Bucs ('02), Panthers ('03) and Eagles ('04) all watched the next postseason from their sofas.

The 5-3 Seahawks cling to a one-game lead over the Rams in the West. But what they have in their favor is a comparatively easy schedule, with the biggest challenges a road game at Denver and a home game against the Chargers.

The Seahawks also will get MVP halfback Shaun Alexander (foot) and quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (knee) back from their injuries and should lock up the weak division and perhaps even home-field advantage for the playoffs. Still, they should've understood it wouldn't be as easy as everyone expected. A look at the NFC at the season's midpoint:

Best Team

The Bears: It retrospect, it was ludicrous to even compare this group to the immortal 1985 team that went 15-1 on the way to the Super Bowl XX title.

Rex Grossman is no Jim McMahon. Cedric Benson and Thomas Jones combined don't match the sweetness of Walter Payton. Tommie Harris is a dozen pizzas shy of William Perry. Only the similarities of Brian Urlacher and Mike Singletary merit conversation.

Still, it's hard to argue with a 7-1 team that ranks second in the NFL in scoring and first in total defense, outscoring its opponents by 134 points.

Most Disappointing Team

The Lions: The good news is they've won two of three. Still, this team was capable of so much more than 2-6 and the discontent will triple if they don't sweep the 49ers, Cardinals and Dolphins before heading to Foxborough, Mass., Dec. 3.

New coach Rod Marinelli, the former defensive line coach of the Bucs, was expected to change the culture of a lazy team, but it's still ranked 26th in defense.

Jon Kitna has thrown as many interceptions (10) as touchdowns. And not even Roy Williams' emergence as a game-breaking receiver (44 catches) has can compensate for the disappointment of receivers Charles Rogers (released) and Mike Williams, their first-round picks in 2003 and 2005.

Don't Count Them Out

The Panthers: A popular preseason choice to win the Super Bowl, they're treading water at 4-4 and blew a 14-point first-quarter lead to the Cowboys two weeks ago.

Still, with home wins the next two weeks over the Bucs and Rams, they might build enough momentum to challenge the Saints and Falcons for at least a wild card. And if that happens a struggling defense, led by sack-master Julius Peppers (eight), will get a second chance to prove itself.

First Half MVP

Tiki Barber: Where would the Giants be without their indestructible halfback? He says this is his final season and what a way to go out: Barber leads the NFL in rushing (830) and first downs (60); his 185-yard game in Atlanta Oct. 15 is the league's best; he has five 100-yard performances; he is first in the NFC in yards from scrimmage (1,112).

Last week against the Texans, he joined Marcus Allen and Marshall Faulk as the only players with 9,000 rushing and 5,000 receiving yards.

First Half Disappointment

Terrell Owens: Perhaps it's wrong to categorize the petulant Cowboys receiver as a disappointment since those who've watched him destroy the 49ers and Eagles anticipated he'd wear Dallas down, too.

Still, this distinction is for those who picked the Cowboys to win the Super Bowl; those foolish enough to believe Owens could fine tune his basic instinct to self-serve for the greater good of team.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has no one to blame but himself for the lingering injuries, drug overdoses, sideline arguments, dropped passes, meeting-room naps and end zone histrionics.

Top Rookie

Mark Anderson: Raise your hand if you knew that the Bears rookie defensive end, a fifth-round pick from Alabama, would have 71/2 sacks, just a half-sack short Giants Pro Bowl ends Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan combined?

If sacks don't thrill you, Saints rookies Reggie Bush and Marques Colston, a seventh-round pick out of Hofstra, might. They have combined for 90 receptions and only Roy Williams has more receiving yards than Colston in the NFC.

Best Free Agent

Drew Brees: The Saints needed a lot of things after last season's disastrous road through Hurricane Katrina to Baton Rouge, La., and San Antonio. But what they needed most was a quarterback to bring them some stability.

Displaced in San Diego by Philip Rivers, Brees has led the Saints to the NFL's third-ranked passing offense. Brees has completed an NFC-best 65.5 percent, thrown for 2,206 yards, 14 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.

Worst Free Agent

Edgerrin James: For $30 million over four years the pitiful Cardinals figured they'd bought themselves the final piece to their puzzle. But where is James?

The four-time Pro Bowl selection, the two-time NFL rushing leader who gained 9,226 rushing yards and scored 56 touchdowns in seven seasons with the Colts, has just 518 yards and three touchdowns in Arizona. He's averaging only 2.8 yards and doesn't have a carry longer than 14.

Best Coaching Job

Sean Payton: One of the most unfortunate aspects of Jim Fassel's firing as offensive coordinator in Baltimore in October was that Payton, who Fassel deposed as offensive coordinator with the Giants in 2003, didn't get a chance to get the last laugh when the teams played on Oct. 29. The Saints didn't win that one, but they're 6-2 and lead the NFC South.

Worst Coaching Job

Dennis Green: Somewhere on a set at ESPN or the NFL Network a seat is being kept warm for the re-entry of Green into the world of second-guessing. Green (12-28 in 21/2 seasons) has been abysmal in the desert. The Cards are in a new stadium but the same old rut.

Sunday, November 05, 2006

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Saturday, November 04, 2006

If you had the Chicago Bears among your Super Bowl favorites at the start of the season, raise your hand.

OK, seems like everybody put his hand up. But really, people. The Bears went into the 2006 campaign with a Wild Card-level over/under of 9.5 regular-season victories. Yet here they are at 7-0 straight up, 5-2 against the spread and on top of the Super Bowl odds list at +300. Looks like we need to do a little midseason re-evaluation of the big faves on the futures market.

The Bears did surprisingly well last year to finish 11-5 SU and 9-5-2 ATS, even with rookie Kyle Orton at quarterback for almost the entire season. Rex Grossman came back from his preseason ankle injury to play effectively in the last month; however, many people were critical of coach Lovie Smith for sticking with Grossman as his starting pivot in 2006 instead of handing the job to former Pro-Bowler Brian Griese.

Forget that. Grossman is on the verge of elite status in the NFL; he’s fourth in the league at the halfway mark with 13 touchdown passes, and his QB rating of 89.6 puts him in the same neighborhood as Drew Brees and Eli Manning. So this is what Grossman can do when he’s healthy. Combine his steady hand on the tiller with one of the best defenses and special teams units in the NFL, and you have your brand new Super Bowl favorites. Did we mention the Bears have the weakest schedule in the NFL this year? The .445 winning percentage their opponents posted in 2005 certainly doesn’t hurt Chicago’s chances.

The Indianapolis Colts (+450) are the only other undefeated team in the league at 7-0 SU and 5-2 ATS. But they’ve taken a back seat to the Bears on the futures market – as they should. Indy might have one of the best quarterbacks of all-time in Peyton Manning, but the Colts’ defense is ranked 28th out of 32 teams, according to the advanced metrics supplied by Football Outsiders. The run defense is especially awful – 167.9 yards allowed per game, the worst in the league.

Bet the Super Bowl

Yet the Colts keep winning. Manning leads the nation with an otherworldly 107.9 QB rating, throwing just two picks after seven games. Rookie running back Joseph Addai is proving to be more than just an adequate replacement for Edgerrin James; even better, the tandem between the shifty Addai and the powerful Dominic Rhodes makes both players more valuable. That frees Manning to do his thing. If only he could play both sides of the ball.

Also getting short Super Bowl odds are the New England Patriots (+600) and the New York Giants (+950). The Giants are compelling dark horses; their defense is starting to perform to expectations, and the rest of the tough NFC East is slipping. Could we see Eli Manning defeat his older brother at the Super Bowl? The mind boggles.

Monday, October 23, 2006

Place-kickers, tight ends, backup quarterbacks and Michael Vick caught our attention around the NFL on Sunday. But amid all their heroics, it also is time to start noticing an old favorite.It's not too early to say the New England Patriots are a factor again.

That's not based just on their 28-6 victory over Buffalo that left the Patriots with a 5-1 record, which is better than they started in two of their three recent Super Bowl-winning years. It's based on the team's body of work all season.

While so much ink has been spilled over the loss of place-kicker Adam Vinatieri, over the depletion of the receiving corps and over Tom Brady's body language during a loss to Denver a month ago, the Patriots quietly have been repairing a defense that fell off during the 2005 season, and getting better on offense.

Although Eric Mangini, the NFL's youngest head coach, is doing a nice job with the Jets this year, there's a feeling among the veterans in the Patriots' locker room that he did not have command last season, his only year as their defensive coordinator.

New England has a veteran defense and the players apparently are responding much better this year to another first-year coordinator, Dean Pees. The big difference between Pees and Mangini is their ages. Pees, who never even coached in the NFL until 2004, is 57; Mangini was just 34 last season.

The 23-year difference, according to Patriots' veterans, shows up both in the coaches' demeanor and their confidence; they are very complimentary of Pees' leadership skills. Of course, it helps Pees' confidence that linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who missed almost half of last season, and safety Rodney Harrison, who missed all but three games, are healthy.

But Pees also has installed more varied coverages in the secondary, where players say he has had his greatest impact, even before becoming coordinator -- such as suggesting the move of Artrell Hawkins from cornerback to safety a year ago.

In 2005, the Patriots finished 26th in the NFL in total defense and 17th in scoring defense. Going into games this weekend, those figures were 13th and tied for sixth, respectively. In their six games, the Patriots defense has permitted only seven touchdowns.

Brady, meanwhile, had his most efficient game of the season against the Bills, posting a season high in completion percentage (66.7) and passer rating (112.4). He put in extra work over the bye week with his new receivers, and the threesome of Doug Gabriel, Chad Jackson and Reche Caldwell combined for nine catches, 102 yards and two TDs against Buffalo.

New England, which a year ago ranked 30th in rushing based on average per carry, has a nice 1-2 punch in that area this season with rookie Laurence Maroney teaming with Corey Dillon. The Patriots have improved their average rush from 3.4 yards in 2005 to 3.9 now.

None of this is to suggest that the Patriots are definitely on the way to a fourth Super Bowl in six years -- but if they improve the way you'd expect them to as the season advances, they will be among the contenders.